LGBTQ rights in Arkansas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Legal since 2001 (Picado v. Jegley) Legislative repeal in 2005 |
| Gender identity | Sex change recognized |
| Military | Sexual orientation allowed since 2011 (Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010), gender identity allowed since 2021 |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender identity covered in employment anti-discrimination laws statewide since 2020 (Bostock v. Clayton County) |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage since 2015 (Obergefell v. Hodges) |
| Adoption | Legal since 2011 (Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Cole) |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Arkansas face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Arkansas. Same-sex marriage became briefly legal through a court ruling on May 9, 2014,[1] subject to court stays and appeals. In June 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that laws banning same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States nationwide including in Arkansas. Nonetheless, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was not banned in Arkansas until the Supreme Court banned it nationwide in Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020.
- ^ "Arkansas judge strikes down state ban on same-sex marriage". Reuters. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.